Observation Trains at rowing regattas, 1929 & 1934!
Collegiate rowing competitions had a large public following in the 1920's and 30's, and were often front-page news. One of the best ways to watch a rowing race was from a train running alongside the river. These observation trains, made up of stadium-style seating mounted lengthwise on flatcars, were sometimes over thirty cars in length. The Movietone cameramen (who I've long suspected of being railfans at heart) at these regattas often filmed the trains as much as the races themselves.